The New Teacher Project

The New Teacher Project, commonly known as TNTP, is an American nonprofit organization focused on improving public education through work on teacher quality, educator pipelines, school staffing, evaluation, and educational equity. It was founded in 1997 by Michelle Rhee, initially with the aim of increasing the supply of newly certified teachers for schools characterized as high-need. The organization began by concentrating on teacher recruitment, preparation, and hiring in urban school systems, later expanding into policy research, district consulting, and systems work. During its early development, TNTP created alternative routes into teaching for people who did not follow traditional teacher-education pathways. Its Teaching Fellows and Academy programs, launched in 2000, were designed to help high-need schools recruit and prepare new teachers. TNTP subsequently developed or supported teacher-certification and practitioner programs in several public-school contexts, including Louisiana, where studies cited in the organization’s public profile assessed the performance of its participants in comparison with beginning and experienced teachers. TNTP’s activities combine paid professional services with nonprofit research and advocacy. The organization contracts with school districts and state education systems to address operational and policy questions such as recruiting teachers earlier, staffing schools that have difficulty attracting educators, designing teacher-evaluation systems, managing performance, and retaining effective teachers. It also publishes reports intended to influence education policy and public discussion. Its revenue model is primarily contract-based, while philanthropic funders have supported research and the development of new programs. Its best-known publications include The Widget Effect, released in 2009; Teacher Evaluation 2.0, released in 2010; and The Irreplaceables, released in 2012. These reports addressed weaknesses in teacher evaluation and retention practices, arguing that school systems often fail to distinguish among educators or to retain their strongest performers. The reports received support from some education leaders and organizations, while research reviewers and unions also raised questions about evidence, methodology, and the implementation risks of particular recommendations. TNTP later expanded its research portfolio beyond teacher workforce policy. In 2025, it published Unlocking Algebra, which examined the earlier mathematics skills associated with success in Algebra 1 using data from students on an online learning platform. TNTP remains an active U.S. education-sector organization rather than a publicly traded company or consumer product brand. Its work is directed primarily at governments, public-school districts, nonprofit organizations, teachers, and education policymakers. The organization’s identity has evolved from a teacher-recruitment initiative into a broader education policy, research, and consulting institution concerned with how school systems prepare, evaluate, deploy, and retain teachers.

The New Teacher Project was established in 1997 by Michelle Rhee as an initiative to expand the supply of newly certified teachers for schools serving high-need communities. Its founding premise was that conventional teacher-recruitment and preparation systems did not provide enough qualified candidates for urban and otherwise difficult-to-staff schools. During its first decade, the organization concentrated on recruiting, training, and placing new teachers in public-school systems. A significant early development came in 2000, when TNTP launched its Teaching Fellows and Academy programs. These programs offered alternative routes into teaching and were intended to attract nontraditional candidates to schools with persistent staffing needs. The organization later worked on teacher-certification and practitioner programs in individual states and districts. Evidence cited in relation to its Louisiana work reported positive outcomes for TNTP-trained teachers in several subject areas. A 2010 state assessment described TNTP as the only one of 17 teacher-preparation providers to receive the highest performance rating in four of five subject areas, while a separate Louisiana State University study placed its practitioner program among providers whose graduates appeared to contribute positively to student achievement. As its work matured, TNTP moved beyond recruitment and preparation into broader school-system design. It helped districts consider how to hire teachers earlier, staff schools that struggled to attract educators, manage teacher performance, and improve certification pathways. It also began identifying district and state policies that could impede these objectives. Research reports became an important part of its public role, allowing TNTP to frame policy problems and recommend changes while continuing to provide paid services to education agencies. The 2009 report The Widget Effect marked a major expansion of TNTP’s influence. Based on surveys involving more than 15,000 teachers and 1,300 principals in 12 districts, it argued that school systems commonly failed to recognize meaningful differences in teacher effectiveness. The report called for more credible and differentiated evaluation practices. Its central argument received public support from American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, although the union raised concerns about specific data, particularly information concerning Toledo Public Schools. TNTP subsequently corrected the Toledo data, and later criticism highlighted the scale of the original discrepancies. In 2010, TNTP published Teacher Evaluation 2.0, extending its work on evaluation design. The National Education Policy Center criticized the report for relying heavily on conventional reasoning and for offering limited scholarly support for several recommendations. In 2012, TNTP released The Irreplaceables, which shifted attention toward retention. Its thesis was that urban districts faced a retention problem because they did not keep enough of their strongest teachers in the classroom compared with their weakest performers. The report received favorable attention from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the National Education Association, even as TNTP’s wider evaluation agenda remained contested among education researchers and labor organizations. TNTP operates as a revenue-generating nonprofit. Most of its income comes from contracts with school districts and states for consulting and related services, while philanthropic donors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have supported research and program development. The organization is therefore neither a conventional commercial brand nor a publicly traded company: its institutional identity combines nonprofit advocacy, commissioned professional services, and public-facing research. The organization continued expanding its subject matter in the 2020s. Its 2025 report Unlocking Algebra analyzed mathematics performance data from roughly 2,000 students who used an online learning platform between 2021 and 2024. The study sought to identify earlier-grade predecessor skills associated with success in Algebra 1. This work illustrates TNTP’s broader evolution from an alternative teacher-recruitment organization into a national education policy and systems partner working across teacher pipelines, instructional improvement, evaluation, staffing, retention, and student academic opportunity.

• 2025

  Unlocking Algebra released

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  TNTP published analysis of earlier mathematics skills associated with Algebra 1 mastery.

• 2012

  The Irreplaceables released

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  TNTP published research on the failure of urban districts to retain enough of their strongest teachers.

• 2010

  Teacher Evaluation 2.0 released

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  The organization published recommendations for more credible and effective teacher-evaluation systems.

• 2009

  The Widget Effect released

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  TNTP published a major report arguing that school systems failed to distinguish adequately among teachers’ effectiveness.

• 2000

  Teaching Fellows and Academy programs launched

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  TNTP introduced alternative routes to teacher certification for candidates preparing to work in high-need schools.

• 1997

  Organization founded

  [1]The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Michelle Rhee founded The New Teacher Project to increase the supply of newly certified teachers for schools identified as high-need.

A nonprofit education-sector partner combining research, policy advocacy, and paid consulting to help public-school systems improve teacher pipelines, evaluation, staffing, retention, and student opportunity.

• Alternative teacher certification · 2000

  Teaching Fellows and Academy programs

  Launched in 2000, these programs provided alternative routes into teaching for candidates seeking to work in high-need schools. They reflected TNTP’s original emphasis on expanding the pool of newly certified teachers and preparing nontraditional applicants for public-school roles.

• Teacher training

  Teacher preparation and practitioner programs

  TNTP has worked on certification and preparation programs intended to equip new teachers for public-school service. Its Louisiana practitioner program was evaluated in state and university research that compared participant outcomes with those associated with other preparation providers and experienced teachers.

• Education research report · 2009

  The Widget Effect

  This 2009 report examined teacher evaluation in 12 school districts through surveys of teachers and principals. It argued that public education systems often treated teachers as interchangeable parts and recommended more differentiated recognition and management of effectiveness.

• Education research report · 2010

  Teacher Evaluation 2.0

  Published in 2010, this report developed TNTP’s recommendations for teacher-evaluation systems. It sought to move evaluation toward more credible and useful judgments about teaching performance, although reviewers criticized the strength and originality of its supporting evidence.

• Education research report · 2012

  The Irreplaceables

  This 2012 study focused on teacher retention in four large urban districts. It argued that districts lost too many of their strongest teachers while retaining weaker performers, and it proposed ways for schools to improve the retention of highly effective educators.

• Education research report · 2025

  Unlocking Algebra

  Released in 2025, this report examined the relationship between earlier mathematics skills and later success in Algebra 1. Its analysis used data from approximately 2,000 students who used an online learning platform from 2021 through 2024.

• 2012

  Publish The IrreplaceablesProduct launch

  Background

  TNTP identified teacher retention as a major urban-school-system challenge.

  Action taken

  It released research focused on retaining the strongest teachers in four large urban districts.

  Aftermath

  The findings received public support from Arne Duncan and praise from the National Education Association.

  • National Education Association — The association praised the report for drawing attention to the importance of retaining strong teachers.

  Source

• 2010

  Publish Teacher Evaluation 2.0Product launch

  Background

  The organization continued developing recommendations for teacher evaluation and performance management.

  Action taken

  TNTP published a report outlining its approach to evaluation reform.

  Aftermath

  The National Education Policy Center criticized the report’s evidentiary basis and originality.

  Source

• 2009

  Publish The Widget EffectOther

  Background

  TNTP argued that public-school evaluation systems did not adequately distinguish among teachers’ effectiveness.

  Action taken

  The organization released a multi-district report based on surveys of teachers and principals and proposed more differentiated evaluation practices.

  Aftermath

  The report received support from some education leaders but drew methodological criticism. TNTP also corrected data concerning Toledo Public Schools.

  • American Federation of Teachers — The union supported the broad conclusion while expressing concerns about some of the report’s data.

  Source

• 2000

  Expand into alternative teacher certificationStrategy

  Background

  TNTP sought to address shortages of newly certified teachers in schools it identified as high-need.

  Action taken

  It launched Teaching Fellows and Academy programs as alternative routes into teaching.

  Aftermath

  The programs became an early foundation for TNTP’s wider work in teacher preparation and recruitment.

  Source

1. 1The New Teacher Projecten.wikipedia.org
2. 2TNTP official websitetntp.org